Apocalypse Revealed #748
748. "And eat her flesh and burn her with fire." This symbolically means that Protestants will with hatred condemn and destroy in themselves the evils and falsities inherent in the Roman Catholic religion, and will renounce the religion itself and expunge it in themselves.
This is said of Protestants, who will deal thus with the harlot, that is, with the Roman Catholic religion. To eat her flesh means, symbolically, with hatred to condemn and destroy in themselves the inherent characteristics of that religion, which are evils and falsities, about which we will say more below. And to burn her with fire means, symbolically, to renounce that religion as profane and expunge it in themselves.
This is what burning with fire means because the penalty for profaning something holy was burning. Therefore, according to Divine law, people who profaned the name of Jehovah by worshiping other gods were burned with fire - they and all their belongings (Deuteronomy 13:12-18). Therefore Moses burned with fire the golden calf that the children of Israel were profanely worshiping (Exodus 32:20, Deuteronomy 9:21). Moreover, because two of Aaron's sons profaned holy things, they were consumed by fire from heaven (Leviticus 10:1-6). Nor is anything else symbolized by the fire and pyre in Tophet but the fire of hell, which awaits those who profane holy things (Isaiah 30:33, Jeremiah 7:11, 31-32; 19:5-6, 2 Kings 23:10), for there the people worshiped Molech with a heinous sacrifice. 1
[2] Since the fourth beast in Daniel 7 symbolizes a religion that profanes the Word and consequently the sanctities of the church (no. 717), therefore we are told that it was burned with fire (Daniel 7:11).
Now, because it is profane worship to worship a person instead of the Lord, we are accordingly told here that they burnt the harlot with fire, which symbolically means that they renounced the religion itself and expunged it in themselves.
To eat her flesh means, symbolically, with hatred to condemn and destroy in themselves the inherent characteristics of that religion, which are evils and falsities, because that is the symbolic meaning of eating her flesh. For flesh symbolizes the inherent characteristics of a thing which relate to goods and truths, and in an opposite sense, to evils and falsities, and to eat means, symbolically, to consume, thus to destroy.
That flesh symbolizes a person's inherent character, which in itself is evil, is clear from the following passages:
It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh profits nothing. (John 6:63)
That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. (John 3:6)
As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to be children of God...: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh... (John 1:12-13)
(God) remembered that they were flesh, a breath that passes away and does not come again. (Psalms 78:39)
The Egyptians are men, and not God; and their horses are flesh, and not spirit. (Isaiah 31:3)
(Jerusalem) committed harlotry with the Egyptians..., great of flesh. (Ezekiel 16:26)
Jesus... said to (Peter), ."..flesh and blood has not revealed this to you...." (Matthew 16:17)
Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his arm... (Jeremiah 17:5)
[3] Because flesh symbolizes a person's inherent character, and people who hate others attack their personal character with the intention of destroying it, therefore to eat the flesh has also this symbolic meaning, as in the following passages:
Let the dying die, and the cut off be cut off. Those that are left eat each other's flesh. (Zechariah 11:9)
They shall devour Israel with the whole mouth... Every man shall eat the flesh of his own arm - Manasseh, Ephraim, and Ephraim, Manasseh. (Isaiah 9:12, 20-21)
I will feed those who oppress you with their own flesh... (Isaiah 49:26)
...everyone shall eat the flesh of his friend... (Jeremiah 19:9)
To eat the flesh of sons and daughters (Jeremiah 19:9, Leviticus 26:29, Deuteronomy 28:53) means, symbolically, to destroy truths and goods in oneself, for sons symbolize truths, and daughters goods, as may be seen in nos. 139, 543, 545, 612[1-4] above.
Moreover, in the Word we find reference to "all flesh," and this symbolically means all mankind (Genesis 6:12-13, 17, 19).
Fusnotat:
1. The heinous sacrifice consisted of "passing infants through the fire to Molech," by burning them alive on a sacrificial altar. Vestiges of this worship have been found elsewhere, as far as northern Africa. Tophet was a site in the valley of Hinnom at the foot of Mount Zion on the south side. Because of the nature of its worship, the valley of Hinnon (Ge' Hinnom = Gehenna) became synonymous with Hades or hell.
約翰一書 5
1
凡信耶穌是基督的，都是從神而生，凡愛生他之神的，也必愛從神生的。
2
我們若愛神，又遵守他的誡命，從此就知道我們愛神的兒女。
3
我們遵守神的誡命，這就是愛他了，並且他的誡命不是難守的。
4
因為凡從神生的，就勝過世界；使我們勝了世界的，就是我們的信心。
6
這藉著水和血而來的，就是耶穌基督；不是單用水，乃是用水又用血，
7
並且有聖靈作見證，因為聖靈就是真理。
8
作見證的原來有三：就是聖靈、水，與血，這三樣也都歸於一。
9
我們既領受人的見證，神的見證更該領受了（該領受：原文作大），因神的見證是為他兒子作的。
10
信神兒子的，就有這見證在他心裡；不信神的，就是將神當作說謊的，因不信神為他兒子作的見證。
11
這見證就是神賜給我們永生；這永生也是在他兒子裡面。
12
人有了神的兒子就有生命，沒有神的兒子就沒有生命。
13
我將這些話寫給你們信奉神兒子之名的人，要叫你們知道自己有永生。
14
我們若照他的旨意求甚麼，他就聽我們，這是我們向他所存坦然無懼的心。
15
既然知道他聽我們一切所求的，就知道我們所求於他的，無不得著。
16
人若看見弟兄犯了不至於死的罪，就當為他祈求，神必將生命賜給他；有至於死的罪，我不說當為這罪祈求。
17
凡不義的事都是罪，也有不至於死的罪。
18
我們知道凡從神生的，必不犯罪，從神生的，必保守自己（有古卷作：那從神生的必保護他），那惡者也就無法害他。
20
我們也知道，神的兒子已經來到，且將智慧賜給我們，使我們認識那位真實的，我們也在那位真實的裡面，就是在他兒子耶穌基督裡面。這是真神，也是永生。
21
小子們哪，你們要自守，遠避偶像！
